South Africa

Global demand for goat meat is increasing, with health, cultural, and religious practices driving the surge. Trade data company the Observatory of Economic Complexity reported that, over the past five years, the trade in goat meat has grown at an annual rate of 1,76%. In 2023, the main importers of goat meat were the United Arab Emirates (30,3%), the US (17,4%), and South Korea (9,9%).

“Every hectare planted is not just a field of grain, but a step toward to a more food-secure and transformed economy.” That is the word from Sibusiso Mabuza, newly appointed CEO of Phahama Grain Phakama (PGP), the dedicated farmer development arm of Grain SA.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent decision to investigate widespread corruption and political interference in South Africa’s justice services has been called a step in the right direction. However, Bennie van Zyl, CEO of TLU SA, questioned whether the move came 30 years too late.

Farmers and agri-businesses across the Western Cape will soon be able to tap into free, hands-on support to make their operations more resilient to rising energy costs, drought, and climate risks due to the rollout of a series of green economy help desks.

As consumers face increasing economic pressure, their ability to pay higher prices for lamb meat dwindles. Sheep farmers are therefore feeling the pinch as input costs rise, but producer prices remain stagnant.

Farmers and taxi operators in a small Free State town have teamed up to close a road in protest following years of frustrated efforts to address the critical state of the R708 between Clocolan and Marquard.

South African dam levels remain encouraging overall, but concerns over water security persist in drought-affected regions in the Northern and Eastern Cape. The latest dam level figures released by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) paint a generally stable to positive picture in most provinces.

At the presentation of Budget Vote 42 on Tuesday, 8 July 2025, Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development Mzwanele Nyhontso announced a R9,82 billion allocation for his department for the 2025/26 financial year.

A hands-on training programme held at Grootfontein College of Agriculture in Middelburg, Eastern Cape, from 7 to 11 July 2025 brought together nearly 30 participants that included mohair producers, farmworkers, and agricultural learners from across the country.

Stellenbosch University (SU) is facing an investigation by the National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) after Farmer’s Weekly was alerted to the alleged inhumane treatment of animals at the SU’s experimental farm.

A blame game erupted on social media on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump announced in a letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa that a 30% import tariff on South African goods would take effect on 1 August.

The R7,6 billion agriculture budget tabled to the National Assembly on Tuesday highlighted progress made in the Department of Agriculture's (DoA) first year of autonomy following a restructuring that saw it separated from the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development.

South Africa is scrambling to respond to the United States’ recently announced unilateral 30% tariff on all South African exports, starting from 1 August.

While there is optimism over the 2025 pome fruit season in South Africa, shrinking marketing windows in key export markets will bring challenges to global exporters in the long term.

The Senwes Group has achieved a resilient set of financial results for the year ended 30 April 2025, navigating a difficult operating environment shaped by drought, high interest rates, and ongoing infrastructure constraints.

A heavy fuel load from vegetation as a result of robust rain is set to make the fire season in the summer rainfall region particularly challenging this year. Last year, wildfires across Mpumalanga desiccated over 1,4 million hectares of land, with damage estimated at more than R21 billion, according to the Lowveld and Escarpment Fire Protection Association (LEFPA).

The Department of Agriculture has rejected reports claiming that the presence of the Oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) has been detected in Grabouw, Western Cape, labelling the reports ‘false and misleading’.

Traceability was under the spotlight at the Karoo Winter Wool Festival, where leaders from the wool, ostrich and red meat sectors warned that South Africa risks losing key export markets without urgent industry-wide adoption of traceability systems.

The Department of Agriculture has lifted foot-and-mouth disease restrictions in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo, while KwaZulu-Natal remains under disease management.

As global agriculture navigates rising climate challenges, food insecurity, and population growth, Nampo Cape 2025 will once again bring together the country’s top minds and machinery to tackle the future of farming.